In a scarcely believable incident, Juventus defender Federico Gatti suffered an injury during a friendly. The surprise? The man responsible wasn't an opposing player at all, but one of his own team's fans who invaded the pitch.
Gatti hurt his ankle after the end of the first half of the friendly between Juventus and their reserve side, an incident that could rule him out of the opening round of Serie A, according to "Mundo Deportivo".
A fan jumps onto the pitch and injures his team's player
The whistle blew for half-time, and Gatti stayed on the pitch to salute the fans in the stands.
While the Italian defender was busy greeting supporters, several of them jumped onto the pitch behind him without him noticing.
The first fan to reach the grass tried to stop. He lost his balance, slid across the turf and collided with Gatti, knocking him to the ground.
That collision left the Juventus defender with an ankle injury, a bizarre scene that ended with the player limping off rather than celebrating with the fans.
Possible absence from the league opener
Gatti missed Juventus training on Tuesday because of the injury, and his participation against Frosinone in the team's Serie A opener now looks almost certainly ruled out.
His absence would leave the coaching staff in a difficult position. The player had been preparing normally for the start of the season, only to suffer a setback entirely outside the context of any match.
Question marks have since been raised within Juventus over the way the traditional friendly against the reserve side is organised.
Usually the encounter is held in a festive atmosphere, giving fans the chance to get close to the players and celebrate the start of the season. More than once, though, it has seen pitch invasions cause problems.
Now, after Gatti's injury, the Italian club faces the prospect of reconsidering the format entirely, to avoid another strange scene in which the celebration turns into an injury to a first-team player.
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